The United Nations General Assembly has resoundingly passed a resolution of the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and this time with Hamas specifically excluded from any political participation in the future.
On 12 September, 142 nations voted for the resolution, 10 against including the United States and Israel, and 12 abstained.
The text, authored by France and Saudi Arabia, calls on Hamas to be condemned, the release of hostages, and for Hamas to hand over control in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority backed by international support. Collective action is also called for to stop the Gaza war and bring about a “just, peaceful, and lasting settlement.”
Palestinian civil servant Hussein al-Sheikh embraced the move as a basic step on the road to independence, with Israel having refused to accept it, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein referring to the UN as “a political circus out of touch with reality.”
The step comes ahead of a September 22 summit in New York co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia at which world leaders like President Emmanuel Macron will try to make progress on formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Supporters of the declaration say that it ratchets up pressure on Israel and threatens a temporary UN-managed stabilization force in Gaza to guard civilians.
Although widely backed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Thursday that “there will be no Palestinian state,” highlighting the profound challenges that lie ahead.
